Town connected to Laurel and Hardy restores old theater

Published
1:42 pm EDT, Sunday, August 12, 2018

HARLEM, Ga. (AP) — An old theater in a Georgia town known for its connection to slapstick comedy duo Laurel and Hardy is being renovated.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that the city of Harlem hopes to reopen the old Columbia Theatre by next summer. In addition to a movie theater for classic and contemporary films, the building is also set to include a visitors center and a museum to pay tribute to the famed comedy duo.

Thousands of people descend on Harlem each October for the Oliver Hardy Festival. Hardy was born in Harlem in 1892. He and British-born Stan Laurel made dozens of movies together from the 1920s to the 1950s

Only the bottom floor of the three-level building is set to be renovated for now, mostly for budgetary reasons.